Another couple of weeks have passed since
my last update
(I can never seem to get these things
done fast enough to call them "weekly" anymore)
and some changes have happened around
the park.
Of course, these days, changes are happening
every day!!!
This is probably because Disney is gearing
up the resort for a busy Spring season, and trying to get as much
maintenance done to recover from an insanely
busy past TWO YEARS with practically no break in
attendance peaks (by my experience, anyway).
So this time, I started over at Disney's California Adventure Park:
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And yet still people have NO idea what this "Year of a Million Dreams" thing is.
I've got to tell you that I went to the
parks recently with my mother, and on our way out
of the parks, I mentioned something about
not winning any million dreams this time.
Her response?
"What is this million dreams thing, anyway?"
I've heard this muttered from confused
guests on Main Street and in the main esplanade between the two parks
time and time again. Perhaps Disney should
start pasting a simple explanation of what "Year of A Million Dreams"
is on the billboards of the tram loading
area and on the billboard as you pass through security.
That having been said, I wanted to point
out the characters on the leaf that I photographed above.
This is a long narrow picture... but I
thought the silhouettes were nice.
I count 27 different characters.. can
you name them all?
Expect to see those silhouettes around
more and more often, as Disneyland Marketing continues to
try and figure out how to market this
stinker of a promotion that was dumped on them with almost ZERO notice
by Jay Rasulo, President of Disney Theme
parks worldwide.
okay, moving on.
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Wait another month, and this place will be crawling with the kiddies again.
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I can't fault Disney for that, but it does
take some of the fun out of the area.
Speaking of fun:
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We wouldn't want the families to think
that this was an enjoyable place to visit, now would we?
I mean, if someone was having fun, then
someone could fall down and get hurt.
And if someone fell down and got hurt,
then someone could sue...
Anyone ever read "If You Give A Mouse A
Cookie" children's books? Following absurd
actions to an absurd end... very funny
for a children's book, but not so funny here.
Maybe accounting figured out they could
save some money from not having the upkeep of those
extra pesky letters on the sign.
You know, all that dusting and washing
and painting and stuff that they almost never do for items taller
than about 10 feet anyway (for example
the jet coming out of "Taste Pilots Grill").
(removing tongue from cheek now)
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I always suggest if you're bring little
kids to this park, be sure you bring water shoes and a change of
clothes because they just LOVE to play
in these water areas of the park. During the summer, it's a welcome
respite from the heat. Disney doesn't
allow kids to be barefoot in these areas, so the water shoes are a
smart bring-along. The change of clothes
are welcome from all the other guests so we don't have to sit in
your child's wet spot on the rest of the
rides in the park.
Conveniently, there are restrooms, as well
as a large family restroom right across the pathway from this
super soaking area.
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Again, an excellent bug themed area by
PIxar's John Lasseter. Notice how the garden hose that comes out of
the stand pipe actually wraps around the
edge of the area? Very cute.
This is the mind that's gone to work over the upcoming "Nemo's Submarine Voyage", folks.
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I thought this was a pleasant shot, though.
That's the "Golden Valley WInery" or
perhaps the "Wine Country Trattoria" in
the background. I'm never sure which.
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I couldn't believe I saw Mickey in this outfit!
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Pretty sharp there, sailor!
I mean, how could I pass up a desktop wallpaper of THIS?
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So which do YOU choose, the swinging or the stable?
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Walking around the Lagoon of Paradise Pier,
I finally got to see the "Cars" exhibit
that happens every day. I've always missed
this, and I'm happy that I finally got to see
these fellers up close.
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Notice the "Ka-chow" from the lightning bolt on the fender!
It was SO hard to get a picture of these
two without kids in them!
What a draw for the kiddies! Most just
wanted to go up and actually touch them, but others
wanted to get right down and look at the
tires, or check out the rust on 'Mater.
Funny thing was, no one seemed to want
to check out if there was a driver inside or not.
I guess Pixar did such a good job of making
these characters come to life, it never really occured to anyone.
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My daughter loved the movie, and the little
pep rally performance parade is okay.
The performers are supposed to be High
school aged, and while the movie was pretty much able to
pull that off, the pep rally in the park
(due to age limitations in hiring, I'm sure) feels a little creepy to me.
These are NOT High schools kids, and whoever
is doing the hiring needs to find younger looking
AND MORE TALENTED performers.
While the music is high energy, the performers
are clearly tired of saying the same lines over and over, and
in my opinion do their best to kill the
energy by slurring the words and going through the motions by rote.
Most the dancers are still very good, and
show enough energy to be convincing (although again, a little too
much on the college age side of things)
and at least are trying to sell what they've been given. Luckily, most
of the soundtrack is canned anyway, so
the actual low-lustre performance is kept to a minimum.
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Not quite as cool as the Gold Tinkerbell
and pixie dust swirls that the
Main Street lanterns had for the 50th,
but still pretty neat.
I'm still waiting for those golden Tinkerbells to show up on Disney auctions.
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I also thought the Castle inside the lantern
was a nice touch.
I need to check that out at night sometime
and see how well that works.
The highlight of my visit came shortly
after I took the picture above...
Off to my left was standing Ed Grier,
president of the Disneyland Resort!
I waited my turn to introduce myself (he
was clearly out of his office to meet castmembers) and while he
seemed genuinely surprised that someone
from the public had recognized him, he seemed nice enough.
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Maybe next time I'll get my head together
in time to get a decent shot of him, and to speak more than a
rudimentary introduction of myself to
him.
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The silhouettes from the "Million Dreams"
are once again represented in part on the new banners in front of the castle.
I hope that you can name them all!
.
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Higitus Figitus Migitus
Mum. Prestidigitorium!
Wait.
Why am I feeling the sudden urge to start
storing nuts for the winter?
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It was Alice!
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Being the smart aleck that I am, I said
"no" and snapped the picture. Thus the
classic facial expression of our dear
friend the Mad Hatter!
I apologized to him right after taking
the shot, and told him I was being a smart aleck, and to please forgive
me.
Luckily, I think, I was too far away to hear what his reply was.
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Speaking of which, I don't know if you've
noticed, but Disney has dropped the mention of
the "Red Hot Chili Peppers" from their
"Rockin" commercials and print advertisements.
The rumor is that Disney got the rights
to use the songs in the rides, but didn't get permission to actually
use the "RHCP" names in their commercials.
I don't know if that's true, or if perhaps
they discovered that too many folks think that the use of the
Chili Peppers music was going to be TOO
rockin' for them and ended up staying AWAY from the park.
Anyway, here's a link to the newest commercial:
link
The last shot started a tongue-in-cheek
rumor that the old castle walk through was
reopening soon and getting a loop.
I thought that was pretty funny.
WAY on over to New Orleans Square for a
shot of the sign announcing the closure and upcoming re-opening of
Tom Sawyer's Island as "Pirate's Lair
at Tom Sawyer's Island".
This of course to try and tie into the over-the-top popular "Pirates Of The Carribean" movie franchise.
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Can anyone tell me where this figurehead
came from or how it was chosen?
I know the Columbia is built from the
plans of the H.M.S. Bounty, but this is not the figurehead that was on
the Bounty,
nor is it figurehead from the Columbia
Rediviva (the real name of Disneyland's sailing ship).
What's a trip to New Orleans Square without a quick, spook-filled visit to the Haunted Mansion?
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bummer!
There's just no way I was going to drive to Corona and back, so I did the best I could.
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I'll visit HM again soon.
It seems to be one of the rides that folks
just can't get enough pictures of.
I'll just leave you with that little taste
for now.
Upstairs over the Disney Gallery, I took a couple shots of the models on display (and for sale) of Disneyland.
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It was starting to get late:
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after one last shot:
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It's been such a great trip this time.
Meeting Ed Grier was a real highlight,
and it's so
exciting to see all the changes their
making for the upcoming spring rush.
I sure hope they get some pretty flowers
into the landscaping soon!
I really need my flower fix!
Me? I have a sudden urge to go cut off
all my hair and get a couple tatoos.
what are YOU doing this week?
Look for anther update in a week or so,
but until then:
God bless,
and as always:
If you found some joy, awe,
nostalgia, or laughter in this photo update, and
especially if you've taken
the time to download any of the desktops for use
would you please consider
a donation to the costs of this site?
Any size donation
is gratefully accepted, and it only takes a few minutes!
thanks so much
clicking on the links helps us financially, too!
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8 megapixel Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT Canon 580EX speedlight flash, and whatever lenses I could get my hands on. |
I also use a Moose
warming/polarizing filter on many of my shots.
and yes dear, I stilluse
both cameras!
not a paid product endorsement
in any way, simply letting you know the equipment I have paid for
and use and really, really
appreciate!
Here's a "Blast From The Past" desktop for ya'... from 2004 but re-done for this update.